Second grade teacher Angela Rorick is a huge fan of the show and wanted the second graders to share in the fun and excitement—and learn at the same time.

“The Amazing Race” is a reality television game show in which 11 two-person teams race in multiple legs around the world. Teams receive clues that lead them to their next destination or direct them to perform a task representative of the country in which they are racing. Along the way, they may encounter u-turns, roadblocks, and detours to slow their progress. Each leg ends when contestants reach designated “pit stops.” The last team to arrive at a “pit stop” is eliminated from the race. This continues until three teams remain to compete in the final leg. The winner is the team that arrives first.

For the “Fisher Amazing Race,” the second grade teacher team followed the television show’s format, but limited the competition to seven race legs. Each challenge reflected things the students had learned over the course of the whole year. Topics included math, social studies, science, and English language arts.

Students arrived to “The Amazing Race” theme song. They chose a race partner, packed up their gear in a backpack, and grabbed a clipboard. At 8:30, students received their first task. In this “detour”, the students had to work together and follow either a written or drawn map which led them to their next clue. When they arrived at their first stop, one team member had to complete a “roadblock.” Once the team successfully completed the task, they received a “route info” clue leading them to the “pit stop”. The last team to check in at the “pit stop” was eliminated. At the end of each leg, four teams were eliminated—one from each of the four classrooms.

For the seventh and final leg of the race, the remaining 12 teams (three from each classroom) had to complete a sequencing activity that reviewed all of the “amazing” things that they had done in the second grade from September to June. Examples were the dinosaur unit with kindergarten buddies, a study of the solar system and the mobile planetarium, and research on whales. The entire second grade cheered as the finalists scrambled toward the last “pit stop.”

Regardless of where they finished, all of the students had a great time. Everyone enjoyed Klondike bars or popsicles after the race.

“Our ‘Amazing Race’ was a great end to another successful school year,” said Mrs. Rorick.

“The second grade team would like to extend a special thank you to our parent volunteers who joined us and jumped right in. We would also like to thank our wonderful Fisher family: Mrs. Thorp, Mrs. Emrich, Mrs. Marrero, Mrs. Hartman, Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Hula and Mrs. Streeter. Without their assistance, our event would not have been a success.”

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Central Valley School District will provide a relevant, progressive educational and social foundation to graduate all students as lifelong learners prepared for career and/or college.